Gamasutra has posted a new Sonic Boom interview with Big Red Button Entertainment director Bob Rafei. There’s a lot here – how SEGA approached the studio, freedom given to re-imagine the franchise, making Sonic more western-friendly, and more.
We’ve rounded up a number of Rafei’s comments below. Gamasutra has even more from the developer.
Super Smash Bros. Melee is joining the lineup for Evo 2014. The game was also included in last year’s event, and smashed viewing records for its success.
Evo 2014 will take place between July 11 and July 13.
Update: Also confirmed for North America.
Bandai Namco has confirmed One Piece: Unlimited World Red for overseas territories, but today’s announcement comes with some surprising news.
In Japan, One Piece: Unlimited World Red was a 3DS-exclusive title. However, the European and Australian release will also be made available on Wii U, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita.
Here’s the game’s official overview:
In an update posted on the game’s official website, Inti Creates and Comcpet shared a few more details about Mighty No. 9.
In terms of Beck’s maneuverability options, players will be able to run, dash, and blast. This includes a downwards dash and a backwards jump, director Koji Imaeda points out.
We also have a tiny bit of new story information as well:
In the game, Beck can run, dash and blast baddies with the best of them, but the truth is he’s a kind and somewhat timid robot. He was never able to display his true talents in the Battle Colosseum, and came to be seen as the weak link holding back his team of fellow Mighty Nos. Gradually he lost more and more self-confidence…until! The global robot rampage!!
Beck was the only robot who didn’t go berserk, which is why he alone is charged with the daunting task of resolving the crisis. At first Beck can’t shake his fears and anxiety, but with the encouragement of his creator Dr. White, he eventually resolves to take on the mission!
Watch Dogs’ E3 2012 reveal was “forced” upon the team, creative director Jonathan Morin has said.
Speaking with EDGE this month, Morin noted that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot pushed for the announcement. At the time, Ubisoft Montreal “felt it was a bit early”, but Morin believes Guillemot ultimately made the right decision.
Morin said:
“They forced us to go at E3 2012. We didn’t know what the hell those new consoles would be, so Watch Dogs really has worked on [seventh]-gen systems since the start. But we always pushed the ideas, the design, the core of Watch Dogs in such a way that we felt it would fit well with what we thought would be the future of games. Yves was the one who wanted us to go at that E3, even though we felt it was a bit early, and in the end I think he was right.”
The first Zelda game had a completely open nature. By comparison, some of the more recent titles became more linear.
According to series producer Eiji Aonuma, this happened because he “thought players didn’t like getting lost, wondering what to do, or where to go.” But starting with A Link Between Worlds, Aonuma has started to question some of the series’ traditional elements.
Aonuma told ONM:
“The recent Zelda games have been rather linear, as I thought players didn’t like getting lost, wondering what to do, or where to go. However, I’ve come to question this ‘traditional’ approach as I felt that we couldn’t gain the sense of wonder that existed in the original Legend of Zelda, in which you made unexpected encounters and where what used to be impossible would suddenly become possible.”
“We will, of course, continue to question and reconsider the approaches we have taken in the past without any reservations.”
This week’s Japanese software sales are as follows:
1. [PSV] Soul Sacrifice Delta – 48,786 / NEW
2. [3DS] Youkai Watch – 36,018 / 532,472
3. [3DS] Dragon Quest Monsters 2 – 31,157 / 718,865
4. [3DS] Harvest Moon: Connect to a New Land – 29,514 / 160,296
5. [PS3] Ar no Surge – 27,037 / NEW
6. [3DS] Fossil Fighters: Infinite Gear – 22,210 / 80,538
7. [PS3] Yakuza Restoration – 19,80 / 212,113
8. [PS4] Knack – 17,272 / 393,348
9. [3DS] Kirby Triple Deluxe – 14,108 / 489,610
10. [3DS] Pokemon X/Y – 10,708 / 3,984,832
11. [3DS] Puzzle & Dragons Z – 10,508 / 1,399,320
12. [PS4] Battlefield 4 – 9,830 / 47,746
13. [PS4] Yakuza Restoration – 9,265 / 114,271
14. [PS3] GTA V – 7,312 / 728,899
15. [WIU] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – 7,181 / 67,284
16. [PSV] Deception IV: Blood Ties – 6,101 / 25,422
17. [PS3] Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost – 5,882 / 333,928
18. [PS3] Deception IV: Blood Ties – 5,874 / 29,127
19. [3DS] Kuroko’s Basketball – 5,752 / 61,811
20. [PS4] Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition – 5,327 / 25,851
The latest Japanese hardware sales from Media Create are as follows:
PS4 – 35,294
Vita – 31,325
3DS LL – 24,192
PS3 – 12,102
3DS – 10,876
Wii U – 7,773
PSP – 3,425
Vita TV – 1,962
Xbox 360 – 300
For comparison’s sake, here are the hardware numbers from last week:
PS4 – 65,685
3DS LL – 26,027
Vita – 21,581
PS3 – 13,155
3DS – 11,986
Wii U – 8,204
PSP – 3,652
Vita TV – 1,543
Xbox 360 – 257
Pure Chess will launch for both Wii U and 3DS on March 20, Ripstone has announced. The game will be available on the eShop for $7.99 / £4.99 / €5.99.
Pure Chess features cross-platform play, meaning users on Wii U, 3DS, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Android can play against each other. Incorporating the functionality led to the title’s longer than expected development period.
